Spicy Eggplant Dip for #SundaySupper

I don’t know about you, but I like to do some serious eating on Thanksgiving! The calendar has turned to November, meaning the holiday season and the related eating is fast approaching. Some lighter recipes to balance the indulgences are in order, and that is the theme of this week’s #SundaySupper hosted by Kathia from Basic N Delicious. I’m happy to contribute my Spicy Eggplant Dip to the mix.

This recipe was born out of a desire to use up eggplants from our fall farmshare. You might not believe that until recently I didn’t care much for eggplant, considering that I’m posting eggplant recipes two days in row here (yesterday, tossed with grilled swordfish and pasta). But it’s true, I’m a recent convert.

Awhile back, Jodi and I shared an incredibly tasty eggplant dip at a restaurant. Neither of us could believe it was eggplant. I intended to try to re-create it at some point. The idea and flavors lingered until I finally got around to making this!

I’ve made this twice now, for the same group of extended family members. I recall sampling my first batch, thinking it was pretty good, but wasn’t sure how it would go over. I had people sample it without telling the ingredients (promising that no raw fish or other exotic ingredients were involved). Everyone really liked it, but no one guessed the main ingredient!

So, if you’re looking for a dip to get a holiday gathering started, without filling folks up too much, give this one a try! And perhaps you might see if you’re crowd can guess what’s in it faster than my family did.

Roasted eggplant works for this eggplant dip, too, but our taste testers preferred the version made with grilled eggplant. The instructions start with the grilled eggplant method; here’s a link to a basic method for roasting it. The grill plan shown above is handy if you have a smaller eggplant.

So if you’re looking for a new, healthy appetizer, grab the recipe below and soon you will be digging into this spicy eggplant dip!

Spicy Eggplant Dip

Grilled eggplant combined with spices, herbs and feta cheese for a tasty and healthy appetizer.

Author:Cooking Chat

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:10 mins

Total Time:25 mins

Yield:8 servings

Category:Appetizer

Cuisine:Middle Eastern

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic

2 cups grilled eggplant (see steps 1-4)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 heaping tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup feta cheese

1 tsp honey

generous pinch cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Slice eggplant in circles, 1/2 inch thick. 1 large or 2 small eggplants is a a good amount for this recipe.

Spread the eggplant sliced out on a plate in a single layer. Salt the eggplant slices generously, and let the eggplant sit and absorb the salt for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat a grill to medium high. Spread the salted eggplant out in a grill pan (larger eggplant slices can be placed directly on the grill). Coat the eggplant with cooking oil spray. Place the grill pan on the grill to cook the eggplant.

Turn the slices over after 5 minutes, and grill for another 5 minutes or so until the eggplant is cooked to a nice tenderness and has begun to caramelize. Remove the eggplant from the grill and set aside to cool.

After the eggplant has cooled, measure 2 cups of grilled eggplant and set remainder aside for other use, such as adding to a salad or pasta.

Add the garlic to a food processor, and give it a whir to finely chop the garlic. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor, and puree until everything is well-combined.

Taste to see if you like the spice level, add a bit more cayenne if needed for more kick. You can also add a bit more olive oil if the dip seems thicker than you’d like.

Scoop the dip into a serving bowl. Serve with pita chips or other dipping item of your choice. Enjoy.

Check out all the tasty and healthy recipes from the #SundaySupper crew!

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